C. Ferreira has three wins in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @diegoufctx
Carlos Diego Ferreira will face Rustam Khabilov on the UFC Prague preliminary card this Saturday (23). For the lightweight, achieving his fourth consecutive victory in Ultimate is getting closer to one of his dreams. The Brazilian revealed, in exclusive interview, the desire to buy your own house and take your parents to live in the United States.
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“In addition to having my own house, I want to be able to bring my parents from Brazil to live with me (in the United States) and have a better financial life in the future. How the José Aldo He managed to get his own house, live off the struggle and will be able to support himself with the fruits he planted. It’s something I want and need to achieve in the same way (as Aldo) and pursue what’s best for me now”, said Diego.
Carlos will face a tough opponent who is coming off six consecutive UFC victories. Khabilov likes to take his fights to the end and puts the result in the hands of the judges, Ferreira wants to be aggressive and impose his game to beat the Russian. The Amazonian's strategy will be to use his jiu-jitsu and wrestling and thus achieve a submission.
Carlos Diego comes from three consecutive victories in Ultimate. One of them was achieved before his two-year suspension for doping in 2016. After his return in 2018, the Amazonian knocked out Jared gordon e kyle nelson No. ufc austin and 231, respectively. Ferreira has 16 fights in his record, 14 triumphs and two setbacks.
In an exclusive interview, Carlos Diego Ferreira talked about the fight with Kabilov and his future in the UFC lightweight division.
SL: You face Rustam Khbilov next Saturday, who is an opponent who comes from 6 consecutive victories in a division as competitive as lightweight. What can you say about him and what is the path to victory?
Carlos Diego: I think the way to beat him is to fight. Be a little more aggressive than him because he is a fighter who likes to fight on points. I'm a more aggressive fighter, I'm a fighter who goes into the fight more and I need to focus on that part. Always try to do my jiu-jitsu, which is my strongest point. Try to stay on top and try for points or look for the submission using my wrestling with my jiu-jitsu. I need to put pressure on him because he's a guy who moves backwards a lot. So I need to study this point and be able to put my game in this direction.
SL: Lightweight is, for many, the toughest category in the UFC, with many athletes at the highest level. With such a fierce competition, what do you think you need to do to get into the division rankings?
CD: I'm going to fight Khabilov and I know he has six wins, but he's a ranked guy. So I think I need one more fight after this to rank. I don't expect to get to the top 10 or 5 straight away. I hope to get to the top 15 and from there start fighting harder fights to get to the top of the category.
SL: You were banned for two years for doping due to a contaminated supplement. At the beginning of last year, you even said that you would sue the company. How is the process progressing?
CD: Thank God everything went well, they saw they were wrong. The time I was away hurt a lot. My career hurt a little because of the things I suffered, messages and bad things. I couldn't fight for two years and jiu-jitsu wasn't a very difficult part, but thank God everything worked out. Now I just need to focus on my future.
SL: Amazonas is a breeding ground for great Brazilian fighters in the UFC. But when it comes to the state, the general public remembers José Aldo, Jacaré (who wasn't even born in Amazonas, but became a fighter there), Alan Nuguette and Ketlen. What do you think is missing for Carlos Diego, who already has five wins in the UFC, 3 in a row, to be known to the general public in Brazil?
CD: I would like to be recognized by Brazil, but that is not my focus. I would really like to have recognition from the Brazilian people because I love my country and my city. However, my focus now is on the struggles and having my own home. Fame is fleeting. […] Getting recognition is very good, but I don’t really focus on it.
SL: How does Carlos Diego expect his 2019 to be in the UFC?
CD: I would like to do three fights in 2019. The year is starting off well with this fight (UFC Prague), and I want to do at least two others. Last year I only had one fight in the UFC. I want to be able to get into the top 10 or 15. For that I need one more fight to reach the top 10 fighters. As I spent two years out of the UFC and this is something that stayed in my head for a long time. I need to work and focus more on the fights I have ahead of me. I hope that this year I have many glories and victories.
UFC Prague full card
Main Card
Light Heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz x Thiago Marreta
Heavyweight: Stefan struve x Marcos Foot
Light Heavyweight: Gian Villante x Michal Oleksiejczuk
Flyweight: Liz Carmouche x Lucie Pudilova
Bantamweight: John Dodson x Petr yan
Light Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalayev x Klidson Abreu
Preliminary Card
Fly weight: Veronica macedo x Gillian robertson
Welterweight: Carlo Pedersoli x Dwight Grant
Lightweight: Damir Hadzović x Marco Polo Reyes
Welterweight Weight: Michel Tractor x Ismail Naurdiev
Featherweight: Daniel Teymur x Chris Fishgold
Lightweight: Rustam Khabilov x Carlos Diego Ferreira
Lightweight: Damir Ismagulov x Joel alvarez
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